ISSN 1517-6770

First record of Aplatophis chauliodus (Actinopterygii: Ophichthidae)

for the northeastern coast of Brazil, with expansion of its geographic
range
Cláudio Luis Santos Sampaio1, Paulo Roberto Duarte Lopes2,* & Jailza Tavares de Oliveira-Silva3

Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Unidade Educacional de Penedo, Laboratório de Ictiologia e Conservação.

1

Av. Beira Rio, s/n°, Centro Histórico. Penedo, Alagoas. E-mail: claudio.sampaio@penedo.ufal.br
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana - Departamento de Ciências Biológicas - Laboratório de Ictiologia,
2

Feira de Santana - Bahia, Brasil. *E-mail para correspondência: andarilho40@gmail.com.

Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana - Dep. Ciências Biológicas - Lab. Ictiologia. E-mail: jtosilva@yahoo.
3

com.br.

Abstract. We expanded its geographical distribution to the south by more than 3,000 km. Some variations
were observed in relation to body proportions in the present study, thus contributing to a better knowledge
about A. chauliodus, which is still little known in its more distinct aspects as well as little represented in the
material housed in scientific collections

Keywords: Anguilliformes, Brazil, meristics characters, morphometrics characters, occurrence.

Resumo. Ampliamos em mais de 3.000 km sua distribuição geográfica ao Sul. Algumas variações foram
observadas em relação às proporções corporais no presente estudo, contribuindo assim para um melhor
conhecimento sobre A. chauliodus, que ainda é pouco conhecido em seus aspectos mais distintos, bem como
rara em coleções científicas.

Palavras-chave: Anguilliformes, Brasil, caracteres merísticos, caracteres morfométricos, registro.

Introduction from the Gulf of Mexico to north of Brazil, near

The family Ophichthidae, belonging
to order Anguilliformes, comprises 52 genera
and about 290 species of mainly marine fishes
inhabiting coastal areas of tropical and warm
temperate oceans (Nelson, 2006).
Aplatophis chauliodus Böhlke, 1956,
belonging to family Ophichthidae, reaches a
maximum size of about 84.0 cm and is recorded
estuarine areas and also in marine waters from
the coast up to 91 m in depth, being captured
occasionally in shrimp trawling fishing, although
it has no importance as a fishery resource, with
only a small number of specimens being known
(McEachran & Fechhelm, 1998; Cervigón et al.,
1992; McCosker in Carpenter, 2002; Menezes in
Menezes et al., 2003).
A. chauliodus is characterized by

Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 18(2): 119-122. 2017

120. SAMPAIO et al.
presenting the anterior teeth, in both jaws, like
long canines, protruding from the mouth when it
is closed and the lower jaw extending beyond the
snouth (McCosker in Carpenter, 2002).
Materials and Methods
The specimen here examined is housed
in the collection of Divisão de Peixes (Museu de
Zoologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas),
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (Bahia
state, Brazil) preserved in alcohol 70%
Measurements were taken from the
right side of the specimen body by means of
calipers to the nearest 0.05 mm (except for
total length and pre-dorsal length, when a tape
measure to the nearest 1.0 mm was used) and
are presented.
Results
One specimen was examined, recorded
under number LIUEFS 12627, collected in Praia
da Ribeira (Salvador municipality, inside Baía de
Todos os Santos), Bahia state (northeastern coast
of Brazil), on January 14th, 2004, by a professional
Figure 1. detail of the head of Aplatophis chauliodus,
distinctive characteristic of the genus (LIUEFS 12627).
Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 18(2): 119-122. 2017
collector of ornamental fishes, , in shallow water,
less than 10 m deep.
Total length: 670.0 mm, pre-dorsal
length: 180.0 mm, head length: 103.6 mm,
trunk length: 342.0 mm, pre-anal length: 370.0
mm, snout length: 22.5 mm, upper jaw length:
40.9 mm, lower jaw length: 42.3 mm, orbital
diameter: 4.1 mm, pectoral fin length: 16.0 mm,
body depth (behind branchial opening): 32.6
mm, body depth (to the level of pectoral fins):
38.6 mm, body depth (to the level of anus): 38.3
mm.
Proportions in relation to total length:
head length: 15.5%, body depth (pectoral fins):
5.8%, body depth (anus): 5.7%, snout length:
3.3%, orbital diameter: 0.6%, upper jaw length:
6.1%, lower jaw length: 6.3%, pectoral fin length:
2.4%.
Coloration (in alcohol 70%): body
overall coloration brownish with white spots,
with the brown color tending to fade towards the
posterior region of the body, being the tail tip of
a light color; anterior part of the head and the tip
of lower jaw darker (including its ventral regions),
whereas the posterior part of the head is of a
lighter color (also including its ventral region);
pectoral fins light brown with dark upper and
median posterior borders; margin of branchial
opening of a light color, with also a lighter area
below and ventrally to the branchial openings;
dorsal and anal fins brownish and with a dark
margin, being that of the anal darker than that of
the dorsal and both presenting a reddish region
 First record of Aplatophis chauliodus for the northeastern coast of Brazil .121

along most of the bases of these fins.
Discussion
With 27 known species, family
Ophichthidae presents the highest number of
species in the order Anguilliformes in Brazil
(Menezes in Menezes et al., 2003). In the Western
Atlantic, 25 genera and 52 species are known in
this family (McCosker & Robertson, 2001).
Cervigón (1991) examined 3 specimens
of A. chauliodus measuring between 565.0 and
847.0 mm in total length collected in Venezuela
in soft bottoms of neritic waters from the
continental shelf and near brackish estuarine
areas and he states, erroneously, that the species
also occurs in Eastern Atlantic; in the western
side it is recorded from Puerto Rico and Panama
besides Venezuela.
Some variations (for lesser or higher
values) were observed in relation to body
proportions taken from specimen examined in
the present study, when compared to Cervigón
(1991) thus contributing to a better knowledge
about A. chauliodus, which is still little known
in its more distinct aspects as well as little
represented in the material housed in scientific
collections.
Acero P. & Garzón-Ferreira (1995)
recorded A. chauliodus from the northern
Colombian-Venezuelan coast. Only another
species of the genus Aplatophis Böhlke, 1956 is
known: A. zorro McCosker & Robertson, 2001,
recorded on the basis of a single specimen
measuring 1,039.0 mm and collected in the
Pacific coast of Panama (McCosker & Robertson,
2001).
There are no data on the biology
of A. chauliodus along its distribution range.
McEachran & Fechhlem (1998) cited mature
males with 334.0 mm in total length and mature
females with 439.0 mm in total length.
The present record extends the
geographic distribution range of A. chauliodus
in the Brazilian coast, in more than 3,000 km,
also constituting its first occurrence for the
northeastern coast of Brazil (Western Atlantic
Ocean).
Acknowledgments
To the collector of the specimen of A.
chauliodus, Samuele Clerici (Axé OnLine Fishes)
for donating the specimen to the senior author.
Bibliographic References
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Lista anotada de los peces del Orden
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dos nuevos registros para el Caribe
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165-172.
Cervigón, F. 1991. Los peces marinos de
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Científica Los Roques, Caracas. 425p.
Cervigón, F.; Cipriani, R.; Fischer, W.;
Garibaldi, L.; Hendrickx, M.; Lemus, A.J.;

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Márquez, R.; Poutiers, J.M.; Robaina, G. (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Revista

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McCosker, J.E. & Robertson, D.R. 2001. Recebido: 17/03/2017

Aplatophis zorro, a new species of eastern Revisado: 30/03/2017
Pacific snake-eel, with comments on Aceito: 20/04/2017
New World ophichthid distributions

Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 18(2): 119-122. 2017